Soft candy and its production method

ABSTRACT

A soft candy having superior softness when initially chewed and is resistant to adhering to the teeth and the method of preparing a soft candy is described. The soft candy comprises blending at least saccharide, vegetable oil and emulsifier, fine sucrose crystals having a crystal size of less than 30 microns which provides a confectionery product having an initial chewing ease of 5,000 to 23,000 g.s and/or teeth adherence of 100-1500 g.

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/JP00/05139filed Jul. 31, 2000.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a soft candy, and more particularly, toa soft candy and a production method for said soft candy that hassuperior softness when initially chewed and is resistant to adhering tothe teeth.

BACKGROUND ART

Since soft candy is soft and can be chewed and swallowed even peoplewithout healthy teeth, it is popular among a wide range of age groups.

However, because soft candy is soft, it has the problem of easilyadhering to the teeth. A technology that blends in an oil having a highmelting point is known as an example of a means for solving this problem(Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 4-84858,R. Lee and E. B. Jackson,. “Sugar Confectionery and ChocolateManufacture”, page 170, 196, and E. B. Jackson, “Sugar ConfectioneryManufacture”, page 127 (1990)).

However, in this technology, adhesion of soft candy to the teeth cannotbe adequately prevented, and on the contrary, has the problem of theresulting soft candy being susceptible to losing its softness.

Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a soft candythat has superior softness when initially chewed and is resistant toadhering to the teeth.

In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide aproduction method of said soft candy.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

As a result of earnest research to solve the above problems, theinventors of the present invention found that a soft candy that is softwhen initially chewed and that is resistant to adhering to the teeth isobtained by blending essential ingredients consisting of a saccharide,vegetable oil, emulsifier and fine sucrose crystals having a crystalsize of less than 30 μm, and, as necessary, a frappe containing afoaming protein and saccharide, and for which softness during initialchewing (initial chewing ease) as evaluated according to a specificevaluation method to be described later, and/or resistance to adheringto the teeth (teeth adherence) as evaluated according to a specificevaluation method to be described later, are within a specific range,thereby leading to completion of the present invention.

Namely, the present invention provides a soft candy comprising blendingat least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier and fine sucrosecrystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, and having initialchewing ease of 5,000-23,000 (g.s).

In addition, the present invention provides a soft candy comprisingblending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier and finesucrose crystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, and havingteeth adherence of 100-1500 (g).

In addition, the present invention provides a soft candy comprisingblending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier and finesucrose crystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, havinginitial chewing ease of 5,000-23,000 (g.s), and having teeth adherenceof 100-1500 (g).

In addition, the present invention provides a soft candy comprisingblending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier, fine sucrosecrystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm and a frappecontaining a foaming protein and saccharide, and having initial chewingease of 5,000-23,000 (g.s).

In addition, the present invention provides a soft candy comprisingblending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier, fine sucrosecrystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, and a frappecontaining a foaming protein and saccharide, and having teeth adherenceof 100-1500 (g).

In addition, the present invention provides a soft candy comprisingblending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier, fine sucrosecrystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, and a frappecontaining a foaming protein and saccharide, having initial chewing easeof 5,000-23,000 (g.s), and having teeth adherence of 100-1500 (g).

In addition, the present invention provides a production method of softcandy comprising:

a first step in which a saccharide, water, vegetable oil and emulsifierare mixed and emulsified to prepare a soft candy base raw materialliquid;

a second step in which said soft candy base raw material liquid isboiled down to obtain a soft candy base;

a third step in which after mixing and boiling down sucrose, saccharideother than sucrose and water, the mixture is cooled and crystals areprecipitated to obtain a fine sucrose crystal composition; and,

a fourth step in which said fine sucrose crystal composition obtained inthe third step is added to and mixed with said soft candy base obtainedin the second step to obtain a mixture.

In addition, the present invention provides a production method of softcandy comprising in addition to the above production method of softcandy:

a fifth step in which saccharide, water and foaming protein are mixedand whipped to obtain a frappe; and,

a sixth step in which said frappe obtained in the fifth step is added toand mixed with said mixture obtained in the fourth step to obtain a softcandy composition.

In addition, the present invention provides a production method of softcandy comprising in addition to the above production method of softcandy:

a seventh step in which foaming protein solution is added to and mixedwith said soft candy base obtained in the second step either prior orsimultaneous to said fourth step.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Examples of saccharides used in the present invention includemonosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such assucrose, maltose and lactose, oligosaccharides such as starch syrup andmaltodextrin, and sugar-alcohols such as sorbitol, and one type or twoor more types of these saccharides can be used. Starch syrup and sucrosein particular are preferable,.

The fine sucrose crystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm, andpreferably 5-20 μm, used in the present invention (to be referred to as“fondant”) can be prepared, for example, in the manner described below.Namely, sucrose, saccharide other than sucrose such as starch syrup, andwater are mixed and boiled down at a temperature of preferably 100-140°C., and particularly preferably 110-130° C., until the moisture contentreaches preferably 20 wt % or less, and particularly preferably 5-15 wt%. Next, the resulting product is cooled, stirred and mixed to preparethe fondant. Here, a preferable example of a saccharide other thansucrose is starch syrup. The ratio of sucrose to saccharide other thansucrose (weight ratio) is preferably 50:50-95:5, more preferably60:40-90:10, and particularly preferably 70:30-85:15. The moisturecontent of the fondant is preferably 5-15 wt %, more preferably 6-14 wt%, and particularly preferably 8-12 wt %. The use of this fondant allowsthe obtaining of a soft candy that is soft when initially chewed,resistant to adhering to the teeth and has shape retention.

There are no particular restrictions on the melting point or otherphysical properties of the vegetable oil used in the present invention,and examples of vegetable oil that can be used include rape seed oil andhardened oil.

There are no particular restrictions on the emulsifier provided it isable to emulsify vegetable oil, examples of which include edibleemulsifiers such as sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester,monoglyceride, diglyceride and lecithin, and one type or two or moretypes of these can be used. Of these, sucrose fatty acid ester andsorbitan fatty acid ester are preferable, and the combined use of thesetwo types is particularly preferable. In addition, although eitherhydrophilic or lipophilic emulsifiers maybe used, the combined use ofhydrophilic and lipophilic emulsifiers is preferable. Although the useof emulsifier allows the obtaining of soft candy that is soft wheninitially chewed and that is resistant to adhering to the teeth, thecombined use of sucrose fatty acid ester and sorbitan fatty acid ester,and moreover, the combined use of hydrophilic and lipophilicemulsifiers, makes these effects more remarkable.

There are no particular restrictions on the foaming protein used in thepresent invention provided it is able to contain bubbles by aeration.Although examples of foaming protein include gelatin and egg white,gelatin is particularly preferable. The particle size of said foamingprotein is preferably such that 90 wt % or more passes through a 4 meshsieve and 60 wt % or more remains on a 20 mesh sieve, and particularlypreferably such that 95 wt % or more passes through a 4 mesh sieve and80 wt % or more remains on a 20 mesh sieve, from the viewpoint ofsolubility in water, foaming and shape retention of the soft candy. Inaddition, the gel strength of said foaming protein is preferably100-300, more preferably 150-280, and particularly preferably 180-240,in terms of the bloom value from the viewpoint of the shape retentionand so forth of the soft candy.

The frappe used in the present invention can be prepared, for example,in the manner described below. Namely, after mixing a saccharide such assucrose with starch syrup and water, and boiling down at a temperatureof preferably 80-130° C., and particularly preferably 90-120° C., sothat the saccharinity is preferably Bx 70-95°, and particularlypreferably Bx 75-90°, the mixture is cooled to preferably 60-90° C., andparticularly preferably 65-80° C. After then separately mixing a foamingprotein, and preferably gelatin, with water, and subjecting to thermaldecomposition preferably at 60-90° C., the resulting mixture is mixedwith the above cooled saccharide liquid. The resulting mixture is thenwhipped so that the specific gravity is preferably 0.3-0.5, andparticularly preferably 0.35-0.45, to produce the frappe used in thepresent invention. At this time, foaming protein is preferably swollenin water to preferably 0.5-4 times by weight, and particularlypreferably 1-3 times by weight, of the mass of the foaming protein,followed by thermal decomposition. The composition of the frappe (weightratio) is such that the ratio of saccharide: starch syrup: foamingprotein: water is preferably 20-50: 20-50: 1-10: 10-30, and particularlypreferably 25-45: 25-45: 2-8: 15-25. Blending of this frappe enables theobtaining of a soft candy that has a light texture, is soft wheninitially chewed and resistant to adhering to the teeth.

The soft candy of the present invention consists of blending essentialingredients consisting of said saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier andfondant, and additionally blending a frappe as necessary, and theinitial chewing ease and/or teeth adherence described below are withinthe ranges indicated below.

Initial chewing ease expresses the hardness when the soft candy isinitially chewed, and the smaller the value, the softer the soft candywhen it is initially chewed. Initial chewing ease is measured accordingto the method described below.

Measuring instrument: Texture Analyzer TA.XT21made by Eikou PrecisionInstruments Co., Ltd.

Name of measurement option: Measure Force in Compression

Name of measuring probe: 10 mm DIA CYLINDER EBONITE

The above probe was inserted at a rate of 1 mm/s onto the soft candy at20° C. to a depth of 4 mm, and the total load that was applied (areawhen load is plotted on the vertical axis and time is plotted on thehorizontal axis: (g.s)) was taken to represent initial chewing ease.

Teeth adherence represents the resistance of soft candy to adhere toteeth immediately after initial chewing, and the smaller the value, thegreater the resistance to adherence to the teeth. Teeth adherence ismeasured according to the method described below.

Measuring instrument: Texture Analyzer TA.XT21made by Eikou PrecisionInstruments Co., Ltd.

Name of measurement option: Relaxation Test

Name of measuring probe: 10 mm DIA CYLINDER EBONITE

A load of 3000 g was applied to the soft candy at 20° C. for 10 seconds,and the stress (adhesive force: (g)) when said probe was then pulled upat a rate of 3 mm/s was taken to represent teeth adherence.

Initial chewing ease as measured according to the above method isnecessarily 5,000-23,000 (g.s), preferably 9,000-22,000 (g.s), morepreferably 10,000-20,000 (g.s), and particularly preferably10,000-18,000 (g.s). A soft candy having superior softness wheninitially chewed is obtained if the initial chewing ease is 5,000-25,000(g.s).

Teeth adherence measured according to the above method is necessarily100-1500 (g), preferably 200-1400 (g) and more preferably 300-1300 (g).A soft candy having superior resistance to adhering to the teeth isobtained if its teeth adherence is 100-1500 (g).

In the soft candy of the present invention, initial chewing ease of5,000-23,000 (g.s) and teeth adherence of 100-1500 (g) are preferably,initial chewing ease of 9,000-22,000 (g.s) and teeth adherence of100-1500 (g) are more preferable, initial chewing ease of 9,000-22,000(g.s) and teeth adherence of 200-1400 (g) are even more preferable,initial chewing ease of 10,000-20,000 (g.s) and teeth adherence of200-1400 (g) are particularly preferable, initial chewing ease of10,000-20,000 (g.s) and teeth adherence of 300-1300 (g) are moreparticularly preferable, and initial chewing ease of 10,000-18,000 (g.s)and teeth adherence of 300-1300 (g) are most preferable. A soft candyhaving a particularly superior texture that is soft when initiallychewed and is resistant to adhering to the teeth is obtained if initialchewing ease is 5,000-23,000 (g.s) and teeth adherence is 100-1500 (g).

Although emulsifier, frappe and fondant each have superior effects onsoftness when initially chewed and resistance to adherence to the teethalone, their combined use results in even more remarkable effects. Thespecific gravity of the soft candy of the present invention ispreferably 1.3 or less, and particularly preferably 1.25 or less, fromthe viewpoint of a light texture, softness when initially chewed andresistance to adhering to the teeth. In addition, the moisture contentof the soft candy of the present invention is preferably 5-10 wt %, andparticularly preferably 6-9 wt %, from the viewpoint of preventingadherence to the teeth and shape retention.

The production method of soft candy of the present invention ischaracterized by having the first to fourth steps described below. Thefollowing provides an explanation of each step.

In the first step, saccharide, water, vegetable oil and emulsifier aremixed and emulsified to prepare a soft candy base raw material liquid.The saccharide preferably includes sucrose. The emulsifier preferablyuses an emulsifier described above. Mixing of each raw material can beperformed using, for example, a super mixer. After mixing, the mixtureis preferably heated to 70-90° C., and emulsified using, for example, asuper mixer.

In the second step, the soft candy base raw material liquid obtained inthe first step is boiled down to prepare a soft candy base. Althoughthere are no particular restrictions on the apparatus for boiling downthe soft candy base raw material liquid, it is preferable to boil downwhile reducing the pressure to prevent discoloration. In addition, themoisture content of the soft candy base after boiling down is preferably1-10 wt %, more preferably 2-7 wt %, and particularly preferably 3-6 wt%.

In the third step, after mixing and boiling down sucrose, saccharideother than sucrose and water, the resulting mixture is cooled andcrystals are precipitated to prepare a fondant. The above step can becarried out according to the previously described method.

In the fourth step, the fondant obtained in the third step is added tothe soft candy base obtained in the second step and mixed to prepare amixture. The mixing ratio of soft candy base to fondant (weight ratio)is preferably 99:1-70:30, more preferably 95:5-75:25, and particularlypreferably 90:10-80:20. The temperature of the mixture is preferablyheld at 50-70° C. to prevent the fondant from melting. In the fourthstep, it is preferable to crystallize the sucrose in the soft candybase.Sucrose can be crystallized by mixing the soft candy base and fondantfor 30 seconds or more at 50-70° C.

The soft candy of the present invention is also preferably producedaccording to the steps described below.

In the fifth step, saccharide, water and foaming protein are mixed andwhipped to prepare a frappe. The frappe can be prepared according to thepreviously described method.

In the sixth step, the frappe obtained in the fifth step is added to andmixed with the mixture obtained in the fourth step to prepare a softcandy composition. In this sixth step, addition of the frappe to saidmixture preferably within 2 hours, and particularly preferably within1.5 hours, after preparation is preferable from the viewpoint ofreducing breakdown of the aerated gel as much as possible. At this time,since the fondant melts or the gel strength of the foaming proteindecreases if the temperature after mixing exceeds 70° C., it ispreferable to maintain the temperature of the soft candy composition at50-70° C. The soft candy composition is then kneaded for 30 seconds ormore at this temperature. Kneading for 30 seconds or more improvescrystallization of the fondant and the effect of dispersing the fondantin the soft candy base. In addition, the specific gravity of the softcandy composition obtained in the sixth step is preferably less than1.3, and particularly preferably less than 1.25, from the viewpoint of alight texture.

In the present invention, a foaming protein solution can be added andmixed into the soft candy base obtained in the second step before orsimultaneous to the fourth step (seventh step). This allows the hardnessand texture, etc. or the soft candy to be adjusted. After going throughthe seventh step, it is preferable to maintain the temperature of themixture of soft candy base, fondant, foaming protein solution and frappeat 50-70° C. Doing so prevents the fondant from melting while alsopreventing the gel strength of the foaming protein from decreasing.

Moreover, colorant, sour flavoring, fragrance, fruit juice and so forthare added in the present invention as necessary.

Although soft candy can be produced according to the above method, inthe present invention, by going through a molding step and a strainreduction step which reduces strain by rolling the resulting moldedproduct as necessary, a soft candy can be produced having higher productvalue. In addition, said soft candy may later be suitably packaged.

Soft candy having different colors and flavors can be produced, and thatcandy can be made to have multiple layers by using the production methodof soft candy of the present invention. Moreover, the form of the softcandy can be made to be such that one type of soft candy is wrapped withanother soft candy of a different color and flavor.

EXAMPLES

Although the following provides a more detailed explanation of thepresent invention by indicating examples, the present invention is notlimited to the following examples.

Example 1 (1) Preparation of Soft Candy Base Raw Material Liquid

50 parts by weight of sucrose, 50 parts by weight of starch syrup, 10parts by weight of water, 0.15 parts by weight of sorbitan fatty acidester and 0.15 parts by weight of HLB11 sucrose fatty acid ester weremixed in a super mixer followed by heating to 80° C. while stirring.Next, 10 parts by weight of rape seed oil were mixed in followed byemulsifying while stirring to obtain a soft candy base raw materialliquid.

(2) Preparation of Soft Candy Base

After boiling down the soft candy base raw material liquid obtained in(1) using a super film cooker (Sakuma Seisakusho Ltd.) at a vacuum of600 mmHg and temperature of 118° C. until the moisture content reachedabout 5 wt %, the product was cooled to 70° C. to obtain a soft candybase.

(3) Preparation of Fondant

70 parts by weight of sucrose, 30 parts by weight of starch syrup and 20parts by weight of water were mixed in a melting tank and boiled down at121° C. until the moisture content reached 10 wt %. Next, this wascooled to 70° C. to obtain a fondant having a particle size of 30 μm orless.

(4) Preparation of Frappe

After mixing 75 parts by weight of sucrose, 75 parts by weight of starchsyrup and 25 parts by weight of water and boiling down at 118° C. untilthe saccharinity reached Bx 90°, the mixture was cooled to 70° C.Separate from this, after dissolving 10 parts by weight of gelatin (gelstrength: 200 bloom, particle size: 100% passes through a 4 mesh sieve,90% remains on a 20 mesh sieve) in twice as many parts by weight ofwater at 80° C. and debubbling, the solution was cooled to 70° C.(gelatin solution) Next, both were mixed at a ratio of 8:1 (weightratio) to obtain a frappe. The saccharinity of said frappe was Bx 80°.

(5) Mixing of Soft Candy Base, Fondart, Frappe, etc.

80 parts by weight of soft candy base, 20 parts by weight of fondant and1 part by weight of gelatin solution prepared in (4) were mixed andkneaded for 30 seconds or more. The temperature after kneading was 70°C. Next, sour flavoring, fruit juice, fragrance and colorant were addedfollowed by the addition of the frappe and kneading for 30 seconds ormore. The temperature after stirring was 65° C. Next, this was cooled to45° C. to obtain a soft candy composition.

(6) Production of Soft Candy

The soft candy composition obtained in the above manner was molded androlled to reduce strain to produce soft candy (1).

In addition, a soft candy composition having a different color andflavor than the soft candy composition obtained above was separatelyprepared according to the same method as described above, wrapped withthe soft candy composition obtained above, molded and rolled to reducestrain to produce soft candy (2).

Test Example 1

Evaluation of Softness during Initial Chewing and Resistance to Adheringto Teeth

The initial chewing ease and teeth adherence of soft candy (1) obtainedin the manner described above and commercial products A, B and C wereevaluated according to the measurement methods previously described. Inaddition, sensory evaluations were performed by 10 panelists on thesoftness during initial chewing and resistance to adhering to the teethfor soft candy (1) and commercial products A, B and C. Those results areshown in Table 1. In addition, overall evaluations of softness duringinitial chewing and resistance to adhering to the teeth of each productare shown in Table 2.

TABLE 1 Initial chewing ease Teeth adherence Total load Sensory Sensory(g's) evaluation Max. load (g) evaluation Soft Candy (1) 10,000-18,000 ◯500-1,300 ◯ Product A 23,000-30,000 Δ Greater than X 1500 Product B23,000-30,000 Δ 500-1,500 Δ Product C Greater than X Less than 500 ◯30,000 (◯: Soft or does not adhere to teeth, Δ: Neither, X: Hard oradheres to teeth)

TABLE 2 Initial chewing ease Teeth adherence Soft candy (1) ◯ ◯ ProductA Δ X Product B Δ Δ Product C X ◯ (◯: Soft or does not adhere to teeth,Δ: Neither, X: Hard or adheres to teeth)

The initial chewing ease and teeth adherence as determined according tothe previously described measurement methods demonstrated an extremelyhigh correlation with the sensory evaluations, clearly indicating thatthe above measurement methods are effective methods for evaluating softcandy.

Soft candy (1) is extremely soft when initially chewed, has favorableteeth adherence, and is clearly a soft candy having an superior texture.In contrast, the initial chewing ease and/or teeth adherence of thecommercial products were not adequate, and were inferior to the softcandy of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The soft candy of the present invention is soft when initially chewed,is resistant to adhering to the teeth, has superior texture and flavor,and has high value as soft candy.

In addition, the production method of soft candy of the presentinvention is an effective method for producing said soft candy.

What is claimed is:
 1. A soft candy comprising blending at least asaccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier and fine sucrose crystals having acrystal size of less than 30 μm, and having initial chewing ease of5,000-23,000 (g.s).
 2. A soft candy comprising blending at least asaccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier and fine sucrose crystals having acrystal size of less than 30 μm, and having teeth adherence of 100-1500(g).
 3. A soft candy comprising blending at least a saccharide,vegetable oil, emulsifier and fine sucrose crystals having a crystalsize of less than 30 μm, having initial chewing ease of 5,000-23,000(g.s), and having teeth adherence of 100-1500 (g).
 4. A soft candycomprising blending at least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier,fine sucrose crystals having a crystal size of less than 30 μm and afrappe containing a foaming protein and saccharide, and having initialchewing ease of 5,000-23,000 (g.s).
 5. A soft candy comprising blendingat least a saccharide, vegetable oil, emulsifier, fine sucrose crystalshaving a crystal size of less than 30 μm, and a frappe containing afoaming protein and saccharide, and having teeth adherence of 100-1500(g).
 6. A soft candy comprising blending at least a saccharide,vegetable oil, emulsifier, fine sucrose crystals having a crystal sizeof 30 μm or less, and a frappe containing a foaming protein andsaccharide, having initial chewing ease of 5,000-23,000 (g.s), andhaving teeth adherence of 100-1500 (g).
 7. A soft candy according toclaim 1 wherein, the specific gravity of the finished product is lessthan 1.3.
 8. A soft candy according to claim 1 wherein, said emulsifieris sucrose fatty acid ester and/or sorbitan fatty acid ester.
 9. A softcandy according to claim 1 wherein, moisture content is 5-10 wt %.
 10. Aproduction method of soft candy comprising: a first step in which asaccharide, water, vegetable oil and emulsifier are mixed and emulsifiedto prepare a soft candy base raw material liquid; a second step in whichsaid soft candy base raw material liquid is boiled down to obtain a softcandy base; a third step in which after mixing and boiling down sucrose,saccharide other than sucrose and water, the mixture is cooled andcrystals are precipitated to obtain a fine sucrose crystal compositionhaving a crystal size of less than 30 μm; and, a fourth step in whichsaid fine sucrose crystal composition having a crystal size of less than30 μm obtained in said third step is added to and mixed with said softcandy base obtained in said second step to obtain a mixture.
 11. Aproduction method of soft candy according to claim 10 wherein, in saidfirst step, sucrose fatty acid ester and/or sorbitan fatty acid ester isused as said emulsifier.
 12. A production method of soft candy accordingto claim 10 wherein, the moisture content of the soft candy baseobtained in said second step is 1-10 wt %.
 13. A production method ofsoft candy according to claim 10 wherein, in said third step, the ratioof sucrose to other saccharide is 60:40-95:5 in terms of weight ratio.14. A production method of soft candy according to claim 10 wherein, insaid fourth step, 5-30 parts by weight of fine sucrose crystalcomposition having a crystal size of less than 30 μm are added to 95-70parts by weight of said boiled down soft candy base.
 15. A productionmethod of soft candy according to claim 10 wherein, in said fourth step,the temperature of the mixture of said boiled down soft candy base andsaid fine sucrose crystal composition having a crystal size of less than30 μm is maintained at 50-70° C.
 16. A production method of soft candyaccording to claim 10 wherein, sucrose is blended as one saccharide insaid first step, and sucrose in said soft candy base is crystallized insaid fourth step.
 17. A production method of soft candy according toclaim 10 additionally comprising: a fifth step in which saccharide,water and foaming protein are mixed and whipped to obtain a frappe; and,a sixth step in which said frappe obtained in said fifth step is addedto and mixed with said mixture obtained in said fourth step to obtain asoft candy composition.
 18. A production method of soft candy accordingto claim 17 wherein, in said fifth step, a foaming protein having aparticle size such that 90 wt % or more passes through a 4 mesh sieveand 60 wt % or more remains on a 20 mesh sieve is used for said foamingprotein.
 19. A production method of soft candy according to claim 17wherein, in said fifth step, a foaming protein having gel strength of100-300 is used for said foaming protein.
 20. A production method ofsoft candy according to claim 17 wherein, said foaming protein isgelatin.
 21. A production method of soft candy according to claim 17wherein, in said fifth step, the weight ratio of said frappe is 0.3-0.5.22. A production method of soft candy according to claim 17 wherein, insaid fifth step, the composition (weight ratio) of frappe is 20-50 partssucrose, 20-50 parts starch syrup, 1-10 parts foaming protein and 10-30parts water.
 23. A production method of soft candy according to claim 17wherein, in said sixth step, frappe is added within 2 hours afterproduction.
 24. A production method of soft candy according to claim 17wherein, in said sixth step, the specific gravity of the resulting softcandy composition is less than 1.3.
 25. A production method of softcandy according to claim 17 wherein, the temperature of said soft candycomposition is maintained at 50-70° C.
 26. A production method of softcandy according to claim 17 wherein, foaming protein solution is addedand mixed with the soft candy base obtained in said second step beforeor simultaneous to said fourth step.
 27. A production method of softcandy according to claim 26, wherein, the temperature of the mixture ofsaid soft candy base, said fine sucrose crystals having a crystal sizeof less than 30 μm, said foaming protein solution and said frappe ismaintained at 50-70° C.
 28. A production method soft candy according toclaim 10 having a molding step and a strain reduction step which reducesstrain by rolling the resulting molded product.